Of Cats and Titans
by Thief of Black Winged Hearts
Summary: A new prophecy has come. Leafpool is hiding a deadly secret. What happens when the Titans come? One thing is for certain. A secret is hard to keep. The truth has to come out sometime... BB/RAE DISCONTINUED
1. Prologue

Yo, peeps. Sorry it took so long to put up something new, but my old friend writer's block has been visiting me, and it took a while to get rid of him. This is going to be the first long story that I put on here, so if it doesn't meet your standards, well, that's my excuse. It's about a new prophecy, and how the Titrans come in and save everyone's butts! No, seriosly, bad things are happening in the clans (to anyone who's raed The Power of Three series, this is apparent) and the three have turned evil!!! Muahahahah! And so, some power above Starclan pulls our five favorite heroes from their world and turns them into cats. Oh, and Leafpool's hiding something, you have to stick around to find out what. I'M SO GOING TO LOVE THIS!!! I'm all fired up, in case you didn't notice. So without furthewr ado...oh, just read the darn thing already.

YOU MUST READ THIS! SPOILER ALERT!!! Through out the story I'm going to hint at the big secret at the end of the sixth book in the third series, and at the end the character is going to come out and say it. I'll let you know when that will happen. But in the meantime, I'm not going to come out and say it, I'm just going to drop some clues for you. But, if you figure it out, please don't kill me!!!

Teens live in a big, T shaped tower. Dead cats live in the stars. I don't own either of them.

Of Cats and Titans

Prologue

It was a cool summer's night, just the right temperature, and every warrior in Silverpelt was shining brightly. The stone walls of the camp seemed to frame the sky, a brilliant picture of midnight blue sky and shining stars. On such a night, it was Leafpool's practice to stay up a little late and look at the stars. It made her feel more connected with Starclan, and helped her forget her own problems. She never felt more at peace than on these nights. _True peace, _thought Leafpool, must lie in the stars. How else can our warrior ancestors know so much? It must be that peace is the greatest bringer of knowledge. She sighed. Our world has never known true peace, she mused, almost wistfully. Always fighting with the other clans, and if not that, then it border patrols and training sessions, just in case. What would happen, she wondered, if everyone just stopped fighting? We would lead much peacefuller lives. But that would never happen. The nature of the world didn't work that way. "Maybe someday, in Starclan." She sighed out loud.

A slight breeze stirred the air, kicking up a little dust. This Greenleaf has been a bit of dry one, Leafpool thought. She purred, remembering the time when Birchfall, with his thick, furry coat, had stumbled into the medicine cat den, complaining that he was certainly going to collapse of heatstroke. Jaypaw had dryly asked that "Since when did you become a medicine cat? I don't recall taking on an apprentice." Birchfall then stopped complaining and let her examine him. Leafpool sighed heavily, the pain of her deepest secret rearing up as she thought about her time as a medicine cat. So many secrets, she thought sadly, and no way for me to ever tell them. When will the truth ever come out?

She looked up at the sky once more, realizing that she had had her head bowed in misery. Why does everything have to be so complicated? She wondered as she looked up at the sky above. But that wouldn't help anything. Mistakes of the past could not be changed, no matter how hard she wished them otherwise. But did she really regret what she did? Leafpool pondered this for a moment. No, she thought to herself. I don't regret what I did, but I do regret what happened and what will happen because of it. What I think won't change anything, though. The future, Leafpool thought as she gazed at the stars, is in the paws of Starclan.

As soon as she thought this, a wave of darkness spreads across Leafpool's vision. She leapt to her paws in astonishment, every hair on her pelt standing straight up." What is going on?" Leafpool cried. And then, she saw.

She saw the territories around the lake, but far away, as if she were sitting on a cloud. But there was something wrong. Even from this far away, she could see a tremendous fight going on at the Gathering Place. What seemed like cats from all clans were fighting to the death. Suddenly, it was as if Leafpool's paws had dropped from under her, and she was hovering right above the battle. The medicine cat's soul wept as she saw all the red life-blood staining the ground. Many cats lay dead, locked in twisted poses of defiance, slain for some unknown reason. "What is the cause of this?" Leafpool cried up to the sky. "Tell me how to stop this Starclan, please, I beg you!" But the starry sky was suddenly covered, the soothing light from Starclan blocked by the silhouettes of three cats.

A menacing voice hissed in her ear," One rules four, but four shall fall to the power of three. And when this comes to pass, even the stars shall fail."

"NOOO!" Leafpool yowled, but a tide of blood rose from the lake and swallowed the fighting cats. Suddenly, it reached up and swept her away, too. She was drowning, drowning in a sea of blood…

Leafpool jumped into the air, landing with all four paws firmly on the ground, eyes wide, and every hair bristling. As she gasped for air, she looked around. The camp was peaceful, the cool night air tracing a path through Leafpool's fur. The usual night sounds could be heard, along with the gentle breathing of Jaypaw in the medicine cat den behind her. Still breathing hard, Leafpool sat heavily on the ground in front of the medicine cat den. What was that?! Leafpool thought. A vision? Or just a dream? Leafpool wished was just a dream, but she could still taste the blood in her mouth, salty and foul. That was no dream, Leafpool thought. That was a warning sent by Starclan. And I have to let Firestar know right now.

Leafpool ran across the camp to Highstones as fast as she could. Father will know, what to do, she thought desperately, and so will mother. Firestar and Sandstorm were two of the two most respected cats in Thunderclan. Surely they could help her figure out what this means.

As she reached the entrance to the leader's den, she called in, a note of panic still in her voice. "Firestar!" she said, just quiet enough that she wouldn't wake anyone else up. "Firestar, I need to speak with you right now!"

"Leafpool?" she heard a sleepy voice say. "What are you doing? By the judge of things, it's about moonhigh."

"I need to speak with you right away," she said, letting the fear in her voice tell him how serious this was.

"What's happening?" he asked sharply, alarmed. "Are we under attack?" From inside the den, Leafpool could hear Sandstorm beginning to stir.

"No," Leafpool said, her voice still quivering a little," But I think there may be trouble. I just had a vision."

"Then come in, Leafpool," Firestar said," This sounds like something I need to hear right away." Leafpool stepped past the entrance and entered the den. Inside, Firestar was waiting for her, sitting with his tail wrapped around his paws. Sandstorm was blinking sleepily at Leafpool.

"What's happening?" she murmured, trying to stay awake.

"Its okay, Sandstorm. Go back to sleep. I'll tell you in the morning," Firestar said gently.

"Fine," she yawned, curling back up in her nest. In moments, she was fast asleep.

"Now," said Firestar,"Tell me what you saw." So Leafpool told him. After she was done talking, Firestar got up and began to pace. "Four shall fall to the power of three…" he muttered.

"What does this mean?" Leafpool asked. She was slowly regaining her composure, and was ashamed of herself for acting like a helpless kit. If her father could be brave in the face of danger, then she could at least not panic over one vision.

"Well…" Firestar began. "Since you saw all four clans fighting, then "four" could mean for the clans. But could "one rules four" mean. No one clan rules out of the four of us."

Leafpool jolted to her feet. "But one does!" she exclaimed. As Firestar opened his mouth to argue, she continued. "What clan watches over all of us?"

"Starclan," Firestar said, "Of course! "

"So," Leafpool said, "Starclan watches over the four clan, but what is the "three" mentioned?"

"I don't know…" Firestar said softly. For a moment, some flashed in Firestar's eyes, but it was gone too fast for Leafpool to tell what it was. "What worries me the most, though, is the last part," he said gravely.

"What," said Leafpool worriedly, "Could have the power to challenge Starclan?"

"I don't know, and I wish we wouldn't have to find out." Said Firestar solemnly. "But at least we have been warned. All we can do is watch and wait." There was silence for a moment.

"Does it always seem this hopeless?" asked Leafpool softly. "You've been part of a prophecy. Did you feel like this sometimes?"

"To tell you the truth, it felt like this a lot for me," Firestar admitted. "It feels like trying to climb an endless mountain. You take one paw step and the mountain grows two. But Thunderclan has endured everything, and it will endure this, too. I have faith." Firestar's eyes were blazing with a determination that, if need, would let him sprout wings and fly for his clan. It was a leader's faith.

"And your faith shall guide you on," said a new voice. Both cats whirled around. Sitting at the cave was a blue-gray furred cat with the sparkle of stars in its pelt.

"Bluestar," Firestar said, respect and awe in his voice. Leafpool was stunned into silence.

"Greetings, Firestar and Leafpool. I have another message from Starclan. But unlike the first message, this is a message of hope." Bluestar blinked warmly at both of them. But then her eyes hardened into two chips of blue ice. "Dark times lie ahead, for all of the clans. A great power will be misused, and a dark secret will be revealed." Leafpool's breath caught in her throat. Bluestar paused for a second, and Leafpool could have sworn she looked at her with pity in her eyes. Then, she continued," In this dark time, five heroes will come, Peacegivers, to be a guiding light to the clans. These cats have power, much power, and they come from a realm that lies even beyond Starclan."

Leafpool gasped. "What do you mean, beyond Starclan?"

Bluestar looked pained. "I wish I could tell you, but it is unclear, even to us. This is all we know."

"How will we know when these Peacegivers arrive, or what they look like?" Firestar asked.

"Two birds, a beast, a star, and machine shall be the ones." Said Bluestar. She looked towards the east. The night was lightening, the sun just about to rise. "You must have faith in each other, but be careful who you tell. Farewell, and Starclan light your path." And with that she vanished.

For a while, the two cats just sat in silence, contemplating what they had learned. Leafpool was the one to break the silence. "Troubles coming," she said, looking at the rising sun and the dawn patrol getting ready to leave, "And we can do nothing but wait for it to come."

"We must have faith in Starclan," said Firestar calmly, his red pelt blazing in the rising sun, "And in the five cats that are coming. But that is not all we can do. We can fight for our clan and follow the warrior code. If we can do that much, then we can see it through this, I know we can."

"Yes," said Leafpool. "I know we can." She stretched. "I'm going back to my den to get a little sleep. Thank you for listening to me."

But as she turned to go, Firestar said, "Wait." Before she could turn around, she felt a comforting lick on her ear, and all of a sudden she was a kit again. "You made me proud today, my daughter." Firestar said warmly. Leafpool purred. Then, he turned and walked back into the den. As Leafpool made her way back to the medicine cat den, she hoped she could get a little sleep before the patients started trickling in. But all of a sudden she could taste the blood in her mouth, and feel herself drowning all over again, and knew she would get no sleep.

Like it? Hate it? Well this is just the beginning!!! Please review, it makes me write faster.


	2. To Hold a Star

Hi, people. I hope you liked the preview! Now, this story is going to be a BB/Rae story, so if you hate the couple, too bad! Just go sulk in a corner or something. Oh, and I'll try to get the next chapter to you soon. I'm going to stop talking so you can start reading. See ya!!!

Look, I don't own any of the characters. Which really sucks, but oh well.

Chapter One

-Teen Titans Common Room-

Raven sighed. _This is the third time today he's tried something like this. When is he just going to give up? It's never worked, and he usually got a couple bruises for his trouble. Still, I have to admire his persistence. It must take a lot of bravery or a lot of stupidity to do this every day._ Raven sighed again, watching as one green changeling tried yet again to make her laugh out loud by doing one of his many stunts. This time, it was balancing one of Cyborg's game systems on his nose while burping his ABC's. _Who even knew that he was smart enough to say the alphabet? Oh well, you learn something new every day. _

"Beastboy," she monotoned, sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, "You know that Cyborg will kill you if you drop that, right?" Beastboy did his best to give her an injured look while balancing a Gamestation X on his nose.

"That's part of the thrill," he informed her while wobbling back and forth to keep it balanced on his nose, "Knowing that if you break it, Doomsday's going to come and kick you ass into a million pieces." He took the Gamestation off his nose and bowed. "Thank you, thank you! You're such a wonderful audience." He looked at Raven, who was staring out the bay window with a bored expression. _Dang,_ he thought, his ears drooping, _this isn't working! Maybe I should try something a little more creative…like jokes. Yeah, jokes are good! _

Raven stared out the window, trying in vain to block out the sound of Beastboy, who was now attempting to make her laugh in the form of lame jokes. _How on Earth can he do this!!! He's been at it for an hour! Just what did he think it would accomplish, anyway? It's not like it's ever worked before. Why does he even bother? And why am I the person singled out for this torture? He never does this to any of the others. _

While Raven tried to figure out the mysteries of the universe, Beast Boy was almost ready to give up. _Dude, this isn't working. What am I doing wrong? Chicks are supposed to dig this. Maybe I'll ask Robin later. After all, he managed to get Star somehow._ Resigned to another failure, he trudged from the common room. _Oh well, there's always tomorrow. At least she didn't hurt me this time. _He sighed, the small crack in his heart widening a little. _I would do anything to get her to notice me. Anything. _He slowly walked down the corridor, heading towards his room. He knew just what he would do to keep his mind off things.

* * * * * *

-Back In The Common Room-

Raven was curled up on the couch, with herbal tea at her side, and a book in her hand. If anyone was looking at her (even though no one was), for all intents and purposes, she would look like she was deep within the pages of her book. But in her mind, she was trying to solve a mystery. A mystery that involved a lot of small little incidents that had never crossed her mind to be anything noteworthy, until she had really thought about it. At the center of this conundrum was this question. _Why am I the only one that Beast Boy tells his jokes to? _Truth be told, she had never really questioned the fact that Beast Boy only did this to her. She had just accepted it as a fact of life. The sky is blue. The grass is green. Small green shape shifters are annoying. But now that she thought it over, maybe it was something that should be questioned. _Why was I the one singled out for it?_

And then, there were other things that, although were small in comparison, that just didn't seem completely right. Like the fact that she had caught Beast Boy last week trying herbal tea. At the time, she was confused as to why, but when he told her that he had just wanted to see what it tasted like, she had figured it was an act of boredom. Or, how once he had walked into the common room and he'd had paint on his hands. Also, occasionally, she'd catch him looking at her with an odd expression on his face. And whenever she asked why, he would make up some lame excuse and all but run from the room. _Something's going on_, she thought, _and I need to find out what. If Beast Boy is having problems, then he needs to talk to somebody about it. _

She paused. _Wait, where did that come from?! Why am I so concerned about Beast Boy? _For as hard as she tried to tell herself that she didn't care, she couldn't bring herself to do it. _Well, he's my teammate. I care for them all now. _Even though, the feeling had never been quite as strong as it was for Beast Boy. _All of this, _Raven decided, _is connected. I just don't know how yet. _

Raven looked up from the book. The sun was about to go down, and the light was starting to fade from the sky. Mesmerized, Raven got up and walked to the bay window. The orange light from the sun caught the water of the bay just right, making it look like a sea of diamonds. Even the Jump City skyscrapers looked like glowing monoliths in this perfect, glowing sunset. _This is my home_, she thought, _and I'm glad that I can fight for it, every day. That's what I love to do. And I hope that never changes. _

Raven blinked. All of a sudden, her vision was blurry, and her head started to pound. Raven swayed, lightheaded. "What?" Raven murmured out loud. She could see stars in a pitch black sky now, stars that shone with an irregular flame. They seemed to be calling her, beckoning her to follow, mesmerizing her. _I will follow you_, Raven said silently. A part her head was screaming at her to stop, that this could be a trap, but it locked behind iron bars. In her mind, she reached up a hand to the sky and grabbed one of the stars. As soon as she touched it, white flames, so bright and pure it was blinding, filled her mind. Raven screamed, and a wave of black swept over her vision. Gratefully, she succumbed to sleep.

* * * * * *

-Beast Boy's Room-

Beast Boy walked into his room. As usual, it looked like five types of bombs had gone off in there. _Just the way I like it_, he thought. As he crawled over hills of old food and dirty clothes, he made his way over to the one corner of his room that was relatively clean. In that corner, there was an easel, canvas cloth, and a table with paints and paintbrushes on it. Unknown to his friends, Beast Boy was an avid and skilled artist. For him, it was a stress releasing sort of thing. Whenever he felt upset or unhappy, he would sit down and paint a picture. The results usually came out pretty good, and if they didn't, well, Beast Boy didn't really mind. _After all_, he thought, _it's not like I sell these things or anything. It's just something I like to do. _Right now he had a pretty good idea that he could paint. So, he took a fresh canvas and places it on the easel. He picked up a medium sized brush and dabbed different colored paint on his palette. Mixing a few, he made the first brush stroke.

As he painted, he felt more at ease than he usually did. _That's probably because no one but Raven's here,_ thought Beast Boy. Robin and Starfire were doing a beach date, and Cyborg was going around the island updating the security system. Also, Beast Boy could not imagine something important enough to get Raven in his room. It would take a declaration of war at the absolute minimum. So, his secret was safe, for the moment, and he was free to relax as he painted.

As he worked, he began thinking. How did he ever end up falling in love with Raven of all people? _It was probably,_ he mused, _around the time that dreadful Malchior showed up and hurt her like that. I was so angry at him for breaking her heart that I would have killed to get my hands on him. And then, when she came out of her room and threw her arms around me, I didn't want to let her go. So, I decided that I would do whatever it takes to make her happy, and I ended up falling in love with her. It's just like me, _he thought bitterly, _to fall in love with a girl who will never love me back. I'm so far out of my league it's not even funny. I mean, I'm green for god's sake! I'm not smart like Robin, I'm not good with people like Star is, I'm not strong like Cyborg, and I'll never be anywhere as good as Raven is. She so smart and strong and beautiful..._ He felt a tear trickle down his cheek. _I'm just a nobody. The weakling, the jokester. And I'll never be good enough for Raven. _More tears started to drip down his face. "Never," he whispered, finishing his last brush stroke. For a moment, he sat back and really looked at his picture. Then, he slowly sank to his knees and began to sob, rocking back and forth a little on the floor.

The picture was of a girl, sitting under a shady tree while reading a book. She looked so peaceful, with a small smile gracing her features. Her purple hair fell over her face a little, and her slim fingers were tracing a line on the page she was reading. Her chakra glimmered a little in a ray of sun, and her amethyst eyes shone with peace and serenity. It was Raven, looking almost like an angel in her beauty.

"She'll never be mine," Beast Boy wept, on his knees on the ground. "She's far too good for me," he finished quietly. He rubbed his eyes clear but for some odd reason, they stayed blurred. _Why does my head hurt all of a sudden?_ Beast Boy wondered. Then he went still in awe. He could see stars, the most beautiful stars in the world right above him, so close that he could almost touch one. And floating among the stars was his angel, his beautiful Raven, reaching out a hand and gently touching a star, caressing it like a bird. He could also fell the compulsion to hold one of the stars, but no desire could draw him away from how beautiful Raven looked right now. He marveled in her presence.

Then, another figure appeared. It was Cyborg, and like Raven, he reached up and grabbed a star, holding it gently in his hands. Seconds later, Robin and Starfire appeared together, and like the other two, they reached up and grabbed a star, though they didn't let go of each other's hand. The star's swirled around them, and Beast Boy could almost hear them asking a question. _**Well,**_ they asked, _**are you coming?**_

_Heck yes, _Beast Boy thought back, and grabbed a star. Instantly, bright light filled every corner of his mind, and he lost consciousness. The five people disappeared, leaving only the strange stars as their witness.

* * * * * *

How much effort does it take to move the mouse one centimeter and click on a button. Not much, so review already!


	3. Into the Woods

Hello, yal! Sorry I havn't been updating recently, but this chapter is kinda long, so it took me a while. Anyway, things are going to really get started in this chapter, so fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight!

Don't own Warriors. Don't own the Titans. Wish I did, but I don't. SO STOP FREAKIN REMINDING ME!!!

Chapter Two

-Unknown Area-

Falling, Raven was falling through space, the stars making lines across her vision because of the speed of her movement. At least, it looked like space, but in couldn't be, because the dark was shining. Not glowing, but burning with a kind of inner light. Everything was swirling around her, but an occasional flash of green or red or orange suggested the other Titans were falling with her. Why they were here, where they were going, she didn't know. All she knew is that she was accelerating so fast that she could no longer keep track of what she was seeing. So, Raven did the only logical thing; she closed her eyes. She could still feel it though, a twisting, turning motion that made her queasy. _Please just let this be over soon, _she thought as she fell between the stars. _Throwing up in front of my friend is not high on the list of things I want to do._

A bright light was seeping past Raven's eyelids. She opened her eyes, and almost gasped. Below them, a bright rectangle of light hung in space, almost like a door. As soon as she saw it, a voice spoke to her, a voice that came from everywhere and nowhere. _**This is the gateway to another realm, **_it whispered, like someone speaking softly in her ear. It echoed slightly, creating murmurs very much like the rushing of water in a small stream. _**This world needs heroes to guide them through their darkest time. You and the others must become their light. Only then will you be able to return. **_

Raven gasped this time; something had touched her mind. It was a presence so vast, that it stretched on for miles, as tall as a mountain. And it was bright, like the light of a billion suns, only cold. Raven screamed, holding her head as she fell. It hurt so bad that she could barely even think. She was pain, she wasn't Raven anymore, she was a being made entirely of pain. _Make it stop, _She begged, _oh please make it stop, just let me end, kill me now, but make it STOP!! _Abruptly, the contact ended. Raven's body went limp, no longer fighting the air as she fell. Her mind felt tender, bruised and beaten from the strain of such a contact. Funnily enough, the only thing in her mind was the image of Beast Boy's face. Then, there was a flash of light and her vision went black.

---------------------------------

-Thunderclan Territory, Sky Oak-

_Uuuuhhhhh, _Beast Boy thought. _Where am I? _He was sprawled out on the ground, limbs in a tangled heap. _Ok, I can feel grass on my paws and wind in my fur, so that must mean…_Beast Boy paused, realizing what he had just thought. _Oh, I must have fallen asleep outside in cat form. No wait a second. Dude, when did I go outside? When did I even morph today? The last thing I remember is going to my room and painting that picture. _Beast Boy's heart gave a little jolt of pain as the whole memory came rushing back to him. Quickly, he shook his head, and opened his eyes.

"What the hell!" he screeched, leaping to his paws. "This is not where I fell asleep!" He was standing in a small clearing, surrounded by dense forest. The sound of lapping water could be faintly heard, and a gentle breeze brushed his pelt. A bird was singing in the distance. Beast Boy looked up. Puffy clouds lazily traversed the azure sky, and the sun was shining directly overhead. Towering above him was the oldest tree he had ever seen in his life. It must have been about a hundred feet tall. "Whoa," he breathed, "I'm not in Kansas anymore." _Ok, Beast Boy, _he thought,_ don't panic. Just change back into a human and ask someone where you are. Sure, you're green and have fangs, but you'll think up an excuse for that_. Beast Boy concentrated, willing himself to turn back into his regular form. Nothing happened. "No way," Beast Boy breathed. He tried again. Still nothing.

"Crap," he said eloquently, pulling himself into a sitting position. He looked himself over. Nothing looked different. He was still green and everything. He didn't hurt anywhere. Beast Boy extended his claws, sinking them deep into the earth. Everything seemed to be functional. So what was the freaking problem? Why couldn't he shape-change? And where were the others?

Suddenly, Beast Boy pricked his ears. Something was coming through the bracken, making its way toward the clearing. Instantly, the fur along his spine bristled. He could tell in was a cat, not a human, but he couldn't know if it was a friend or foe. Beast Boy stared at the spot where the newcomer was going to emerge, and waited. The bushes rustled. Beast Boy held his breath.

A cat stepped out of the undergrowth. It was a tom, and he was huge! The cat towered over Beast Boy's scrawny frame. He had dark, chocolate colored fur and amber colored eyes. But wait! Beast Boy sniffed the air. He knew that scent! "Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked, "Is that you?" The cat walked right up to Beast Boy, towering over him.

"Beast Boy," the cat growled, "Don't tell me you've been messing around with Raven's spell books again."

"Dude!" Beast Boy whined, rolling his eyes, "That was like, once, okay? Just because you spent the day in pink armor doesn't mean you have to go blaming me!" He "humphed", sitting on the ground in a sulking manner.

"Okay, okay!" Cyborg said loudly, his brown ears twitching, "You can stop being so loud then. Geez." He sat down next to Beast Boy. "Well, if that's not it, then why the hell am I a cat?" he asked.

"Oh, I know, I know!" said Beast Boy, waving a paw about, "We were captured by aliens-"

"Oh, yeah right," scoffed Cyborg, "My system could have spotted any alien invaders from a mile away."

"Well," Beast Boy said grumpily, "Then how did we get here?"

"Man, does it look like I know?" said Cyborg. "I don't have my systems anymore. All I have left if mechanical body are these." He extended his claw, which flashed in the noonday sun.

"Sweet!" shouted Beast Boy. "You have metal claws! You're, like, Wolverine! Only cooler, 'cause you're a cat!"

"Tone it down, BB," Cyborg warned, "We don't know if there's anyone else out here or not. We may be smack dab in enemy territory."

"Whoops," said Beast Boy, "Sorry."

Cyborg sighed. "We should try and find the others. They have to be around here somewhere. I didn't have to walk far to find you."

As soon as Cyborg mentioned finding the others, Beast Boy was overcome with the desire to find Raven. He had to make sure that she was okay. He sniffed the air. Among the scents of the forest, he could smell two familiar cat scents coming from the west. Even when he and Cyborg were both cats, Beast Boy still had the better senses. "This way, come on!" he shouted, racing towards the scent with Cyborg hard on his heels. The trees raced by as Beast Boy sped along the forest floor. Suddenly, he was out of the trees and on top of a hill. Beast Boy skidded to a halt, and almost went flying off the hill because Cyborg ran into him from behind. In front of him was a lake, a pretty good sized one. The small waves kicked up by the wind lapped against a pebbly shore. Sitting on the shore were two cats. One was slightly long limbed, with light orange fur and bright green eyes. The other was reddish brown and muscular, with a patch of black fir around it's eyes that almost looked like a mask. It distracted the eye, making it hard to tell what color the cat's eyes were. At the sight of them, both cats leapt to their paws and took battle stances, eyeing them warily.

"Robin! Starfire!" called Beast Boy, walking forward, "We found you!"

"Chill Rob, it's us," added Cyborg. At the sound of his name, Robin relaxed, walking forward. Starfire, however, raced ahead and starting twining around the two, ecstatic to see them.

"Friends!" she exclaimed, "It is glorious to see you both unharmed, even if we have all turned furry!" Star frowned. "But, friends, where is Raven?"

Beast Boy was really worried now. Raven could be hurt, or in danger, and she wouldn't have her fiends to help her. "We haven't found her yet, Star. She'll probably turn up soon," Cyborg reassured.

"No," said Beast Boy. The others turned to look at him. "We have to find her. What if the reason she isn't here is because she's hurt? Or she ran into trouble? I…I mean we, have to make sure she's safe."

"Beast Boy, calm down," Robin said calmly. "We'll wait here for a little, and then if she doesn't show up we'll go look for her. She wouldn't want us to fuss over nothing."

"Correct," said a voice behind them. All four cats jumped in surprise. There behind them was Raven. She had dark violet fur, so dark that it was almost black. Her violet eyes were as blank as ever, and she had a small white spot on her forehead where her charka should be. She was sitting gracefully on her haunches, as close to her meditation position as she could get, under the circumstances. "Looks like we all made it," she monotoned.

"Raven! You're okay!" cried Beast Boy. He bounded forward to give her a hug (well, the cat equivalent anyway), but when she edged slightly away he stopped himself. "Sorry, Rae," he said sheepishly. "I got kind of carried away."

"Don't call me Rae," was her only reply.

"Great, we're all here," said Robin, "Now, does anyone know why someone turned us into cats? I think Slade did it. It would be just like him to pull something like this." Robin's face was serious, but the rest of the team had skeptical looks on their faces.

"Ummm…" said Beast Boy. _Robin's always a little off his rocker when it comes to Slade, but how the hell could Slade pull this one off? I mean, maybe there was the slight chance that Slade did it, but the odds aren't really that high. Oh well, Robin's always going to be Slade obsessive, whatever body he's in, _he thought to himself.

"As logical as that sounds," said Raven sarcastically, earning a scowl fro Robin, "You're wrong. I'm not sure exactly who did it, but I do know why. Beast Boy perked up his ears. There was a pause.

"Go on, Raven," said Robin, "Tell us what you know." He had that look on his face, the leader "no one messes with my team" look. Whoever did it, Robin was prepared to make them suffer for it.

"When we traveled, from the Tower to…wherever this place is, something made mental contact with me," said Raven. Her monotone was perfect, but Beast Boy saw something flash in her eyes. Could it be…fear? "This thing, whatever it was," she continued, "Was immensely powerful. It could crush our solar system in the blink of an eye." Starfire gasped in horror. "It spoke to me. It told me that this place was approaching its darkest time, and that they needed heroes. So, we were sent to help them." Raven frowned. "We have to help them before we can go home."

"What were the exact words?" asked Robin, "Maybe they have some special meaning."

Raven thought for a minute, then said, "The way it said it was "this world needs heroes to guide them through their darkest time. You and the others must become their light. Only then will you be able to return.""

"That's great!" said Beast Boy," We're stuck here in the middle of some "dark time", and we can't get home until it's over."

"But," said Starfire, "If these people are needing the help, then why can we not give it to them. After all, that is why we are superheroes, is it not?" She looked pleadingly at Robin. He nodded.

"Star's right," said Robin, "We are superheroes, and this is our job. We are supposed to help people who are in trouble. This is no different than when we helped Valyor with his problem. Even if it isn't our world, we still should help. Besides, we can't get back until we do this, anyway, so I see no other option."

"Rob's right," said Cyborg, "We have no other options here."

"I'm in," said Beast Boy, smiling cockily. _This could be my big chance to get Raven's attention, _he thought, _so I better not screw it up._

"As am I!" shouted Starfire, jumping for joy.

"Sure, whatever," said Raven, looking a shade pleased. A very faint shade, mind you, but you could still see it with a microscope.

"Then it's settled," said Robin, standing up, "We stay and help." There was a deep silence for a moment.

"Hey!" Beast Boy spoke up. "Does anyone else still have their powers? Cuz I can't change into animals anymore." They all looked at him. "Just wondering," he said, sheepishly rubbing his head with a paw.

"I can still make my starbolts," said Starfire, her paws glowing with green light, "But it is harder than it should be, and that is all that I can do." She looked confused. "Why is that, I wonder?"

"I think it's because some of your powers can't exist in this dimension," said Robin, "Or that your powers have to adapt to these different bodies." He looked over at Raven. "What can you do, Raven?"

Raven looked at him. "I can still move thing, but I can't fly," she said shortly. Robin shot her a look that asked for more details, but Raven simply stared him down until he looked away with a shrug.

"All I've got are my metal claws," said Cyborg, extending said claws for emphasis.

"Why am I the only person here who totally got missed by the power fairy?!" screeched Beast Boy, fluffing up his fur in indignation.

"Maybe," said Raven sarcastically, her purple eyes mocking, "You're just not trying _hard _enough."

Beast Boy blinked. "Oh," he said, "I never really thought of that." Beast Boy closed his eyes. _I'm going to try as hard as I can, _he thought. _I can't let Raven think that I can't do anything right. _So, Beast Boy closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. Holding it, he thought of a lion as hard as he could, and willed himself to become one. Straining with all his might, he pushed against a mental barrier. _Boy, I can tell what Star meant when she said this is harder than it should be!_

"Whoa," Cyborg said. "That's new." Beast Boy opened his eyes and looked at himself.

"Dude!" he exclaimed, "I traded turning into animals for being a chameleon? So not cool." Beast Boy hadn't turned into a lion. But, his fur had changed into a brownish yellowy color, exactly the shade of a lion's pelt. _DANG! This sucks, _he thought as he changed back to his natural color. _This is so lame. Now what am I going to do? All of my life, I've relied on my powers to be a strong fighter. Now that I don't have them, will I be able to keep up with the rest of the team? I'm the weakest one here now, _he thought angrily. He hated having to rely on other people just because he was weak. He had always been the weakling while he was working with the Doom Patrol. He never wanted to go back to that. Ever. But he had no choice. This was his family now, and he had to trust them not to be the same way that Mento had been. He had to believe in his friends.

Robin looked thoughtful. "What should we do now?" asked Cyborg, his chocolate fur blowing in the breeze. "We have no idea who we need to help, or where we even are! How are we supposed to fix a problem we don't know about?"

Starfire looked at Robin. "I believe," she said slowly, "That the trouble will come to find us. If we go looking, it may end up being the wild chasing of the goose. If we were sent to help, then the trouble should not be all that far off. It would not make sense to send us somewhere where we could do no good." Beast Boy blinked. Because of all the weird things she did, Beast Boy sometimes forgot how smart Star actually was. Just because she was stupid on Earth, didn't mean that she was stupid in general. _In fact, _Beast Boy thought, _we're all in the same situation Star was when she first came to Earth. For all we know, this place could be wildly different from the place where we come from. It might take us a while to adjust._ Beast Boy found himself discovering a new respect for Star, now that they were both in the same situation. It must take a lot of self confidence to do what she did every day, when she knew nothing about our planet. Even when she screwed up, she just laughed and kept on trying.

"Very good, Star! Good logic," said Robin looking at Starfire proudly. The look that passed between them made Beast Boy's chest ache a little, but he shook it off as quick as he could.

Trouble chose that moment to make its appearance in the form of six cats flying out of the bushes, all but one landing on a Titan, pinning them all to the ground. The Titans struggled, but for four of them this was their first battle as a cat, so after a while they finally lay limp. Beast Boy managed to wiggle free, and immediately began to attack the grey cat pinning down Raven. "Get your hands off of her," he yowled, attacking the cat in a whirlwind of claws and teeth. The she-cat was forced to let go of Raven and fight back. The two wrestled on the ground, a tornado of fur and fangs. Raven leapt towards the fight, but before she could help Beast Boy, the golden brown tom who had been hanging back before leapt forward and pinned her to the ground. He was twice her size, and with his large paw pressed against her chest, she seemed like she could hardly breathe. "Get him, Cinderheart," he yowled, encouraging the gray cat. After about a minute, both cats were bleeding, but Beast Boy was once again pinned to the ground. Both cats were panting, and Beast Boy was still struggling feebly, but when he saw that Raven was unharmed, he relaxed. "Murders!" yowled a dark brown tabby with amber eyes. "Why did you kill Ashfur? Fox hearted scum!"

"We're innocent! Why would we kill anybody? Where we come from, we are protectors!" yowled Robin as he struggled to get free.

"Then how do you explain the fact that Ashfur was murdered yesterday, and then we find five intruders in our territory! You think that's just a coincidence?" a light brown tabby snarled, looming over Starfire.

"That's it. I've had enough," said Raven, starting her mantra. "Azerath, Metrion…"

"No," Robin shouted. Raven looked at him, questioning his sanity. He explained, "Only if they try to kill us." Raven nodded, accepting the fact that they were to keep their powers a secret until they had real need of them.

The other cats looked at them suspiciously, but turned to the dark tabby for orders. The brown tabby with the amber eyes, who seemed to be the leader, said to the rest of the group, "We'll take them to Firestar. He can decide if they're telling the truth, and what to do with them if their not." The other cat's nodded, and let the Titans up, keeping a close eye on them as they instantly formed a group, guarding each other's backs.

"Are you okay, Beast Boy?" asked Robin, in full leader mode. Raven looked on, a hint of concern in her eyes.

"I'll live," he grunted, licking the blood from a scratch on his shoulder, "But man, these things sting! These cats are good fighters." He looked slightly impressed with himself. Out of all the Titans, he was the only one who could break free and fight them. Maybe he wasn't so weak after all.

The brown tabby walked up to them. "My name is Brambleclaw, deputy of Thunderclan," he said to them, a dangerous look in his eyes. "And you have trespassed on Thunderclan territory. You are also under suspicion for the death of Ashfur. We will take you back to our camp, and there," he said, a low growl in his voice, "Firestar will decide what to do with you."

* * * * * *

oooooooh, I'm so bad. I left you with a cliffie! Oh well, I'm not gonna update again until I have at least five reviews. Muahahahahahaha! I'm so totally evil! REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW...


	4. Stay or Go?

Well...I only have four reviews for this story...but I'm a sucker, I guess. Oh, well. Read on, my friends!

Chapter Three

-Thunderclan Territory-

"Are we there yet?" whispered Beast Boy.

"NO!" the rest of the Titans screamed. The cats around them jumped, looking startled at the outburst.

"Crazy rouges," Raven heard one mutter. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and kept on walking. They had been traveling through the forest for quite some time now, and obviously Beast Boy couldn't take much more. _At least the scenery's pretty,_ she thought, gazing around as she walked beside her guard cat. The trees were starting to leaf out, and the underbrush was just starting to grow. The little sky that she could see between the tree branches was a beautiful blue, and the air carried all the scents of spring. _This place is beautiful, _she thought with wonder.

She could feel herself starting to settle into her cat body, and slowly some of her power was starting to return. Her empathy was once again in working order, and she was very glad of it. When her empathy was missing, it was almost like missing her eyesight or her hearing. It had become another sense to her, and to suddenly find herself without it had disorientated her. The cats from before had surrounded them, and were escorting them to their camp at a prison march pace, being careful to not let the Titans escape. They were walking in single file, each Titan being watched by their assigned cat. Raven could even remember their names. That had always been a talent of hers, remembering things. It came in handy when situations like these came up.

The gray cat Cinderheart, who had fought Beast Boy before, had run ahead, apparently to announce their arrival before they came. She had still been bleeding a little from her shoulder when she had raced off, and every now and then Raven could still scent her blood on the path. The tabby cat, Brambleclaw, was up front guarding Robin. Right now they were arguing over something, probably their innocence. Raven could sense Robin's frustration coming off him in waves, while Brambleclaw's mistrust prickled her pelt. Starfire was being guarded by the dark brown cat Dustpelt, who was looking very cross at being picked for that particular cat. Starfire had tried, unsuccessfully, to get Dustpelt to talk for the greater part of the trip. Finally, when it looked like the poor cat was about to claw his own ears off rather than listening to her blabbering for a moment longer, Raven had decided to save the poor soul. She had casually commented about the weather to Starfire, and in moments she was chattering away to her about this and that. Dustpelt shot her a look that was not exactly grateful, but a little less hostile than it had been before. After a while, Raven shot her a look, and she finally quieted down.

Cyborg was being guarded was being guarded by the light brown tabby who had snarled at Star before. Birchfall was his name. He and Cyborg had been glaring at each other for the whole trip. Birchfall was radiating mistrust, and Cyborg was quite mad at the cats for how they had treated his "little sisters". Raven could tell it wouldn't take much for the two cats to start fighting. "Males," she muttered, exasperated, as she watched them. Beast Boy was being guarded by Thornclaw, a cat with golden brown tabby fur. Thornclaw was eying Beast Boy with deep mistrust, alert for any signs of movement from the green cat. Beast Boy's green pelt and her own violet fur had caused some murmurs among the group, and the two were eyed with the most mistrust. _Trust people to judge you because of what you look like, even if they are cats, _she thought to herself scornfully. Her own guard, a black she-cat with green eyes named Hollyleaf, was watching her with unease. Raven had that effect on most people, and it was gratifying to see that she hadn't lost her touch. But Raven had no interest for the cat next to her. She had eyes for only one cat.

Raven went back to watching Beast Boy. She was starting to worry about if he could make it to this camp place. He had been limping for quite some time now, and one bite mark on his back was still bleeding a little, trickling down his flank. He had been lagging, fatigue making his paws drag and his whiskers droop. She wished they could at least stop and rest. On Azerath, she had been trained at the art of herbal healing, and maybe some of what she knew could help her stop the bleeding. Every cat here had scratch marks from their tussles with each other, but Beast Boy way by far the most seriously injured. If they didn't stop soon, he was going to collapse from blood loss. After all the attention he gave her every day, the least she could do was pay some attention to him.

"Robin," she called up to the front, "Beast Boy's still bleeding. How much farther until we get to this camp place?" Robin looked back at Beast Boy. He was stumbling forward, green eyes half-closed with weariness. Beast Boy looked up at Robin.

"I'm fine," he meowed bravely, voice echoing his fatigue. Robin studied him, eyes narrowed in concern.

"How much farther until we reach your camp?" Robin asked Brambleclaw roughly. Raven could feel the Robin's guilt that he hadn't spotted how bad Beast Boy's wounds really were. It would be just like Robin to beat himself up for this later. However, it was Beast Boy who answered.

"Smell the air, Rob," he said wearily. "We're almost there." Raven and the others sniffed the air. _Beast Boy's right, _Raven thought, _I can smell other cats. _The smell of many different cats lingered in the air, mixing together to form a very distinctive scent. The group of cats stopped at a bracken tunnel, and Bramble claw gestured for the Titans to enter. Robin, being the leader, went in first, and the rest of the Titans followed. On the other side, they all stood together, alert and ready for what was to come.

They stood inside an old quarry, once in use, but now long abandoned. The smooth walls rose above them, making escape impossible. Inside, bramble patches seemed to form houses of sorts. Off to the side, Raven could see a crack in the quarry wall that smelled of herbs. Over in another corner, there was a well protected clump of bracken that smelled of milk. Raven could hear faint cries coming from within. But all of these things did not concern her at the moment. Her full attention was given to the center of the clearing.

In the center of the clearing, dozens of cats stood, of all different colors. In each and every pair of eyes were mistrust, anger, and hatred. Some of them yowled abuse at the five cats, spitting in anger with unsheathed claws. The Titans huddled together, almost as if they could shield one another from the other cat's hostility. "Remember when you told us that the trouble would find us, Star? Well boy, were you ever right." Said Cyborg, his fur fluffed up in anger and fear. Beast Boy was swaying on his paws, so Raven walked up to him and supported him, letting him lean on her. And if anyone noticed how she buried her nose into his fur for comfort, well, they didn't say anything, which was the smart thing to do. In front of them, a sea of hostility boiled, with each cat looking like they wanted to fight the Titans to the death.

*-*-*-*-*

Beast Boy stared around at the clearing. So many cats! And worst of all, all of them looked like they wanted a good piece of the Titans. His fur was bristling aggressively, even though he could barely stand from exhaustion. _No one's going to touch my Raven, _he thought angrily, baring his teeth, _not if they want to live to talk about it later. _He barely registered his use of the possessive pronoun for Raven. That was something to be pondered later, when battle wasn't looming in front of them. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he fought to stay on his paws. _Curse this weak body, _he thought angrily. He could not do much to protect Raven in a state like this. _If she'd even want to be protected by the likes of me, _he thought bitterly.

Out of nowhere, someone's body was supporting his, keeping him from swaying on his paws. The sweet scent of Raven floated around him, and the shock helped clear his head. Raven was letting him lean on her! Even better, she had come up and voluntarily put herself out of her comfort zone! For him. She'd done this for him. _This doesn't really mean anything; _he thought to himself, _she'd do it for any of the others. _But a small part of him kept hoping, kept wishing, that the inconceivable could be true. Raven could feel something for him. He wished it. He wished it with all his heart.

A small nose buried itself in his fur, and the flank he leaned against trembled. It hit him like a thunderbolt. Raven was scared! Beast Boy felt the strong need to comfort her, to hold her close and tell her that it would be alright. But he couldn't be so obvious. The others were watching, and so was a whole crowd of other cats. The last thing that Raven liked was being embarrassed or feeling like she was weak because for once, she couldn't deal with something alone. So unobtrusively, he a quick lick on the ear, and let his muzzle rest on her head. He could have never been so bold when he was human, but there was something about being in a different body that could let you do things you would never do before.

Beast Boy felt her stiffen for a moment, then relax. Leaning into his muzzle slightly, she drew emotional support from him. Softly, in her ear, he whispered, "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." Beast Boy knew how much this killed her, admitting that even she was weak sometimes, and he wanted to make it as easy as possible. Above them, sitting on a rock that overlooked the clearing, a flame-colored cat walked up and yowled for silence. The crowd gradually quieted, and although many dirty glares were still shot their way, the cats focused their attention on the cat sitting on the rock.

"That must be Firestar," he heard Robin mutter. Beast Boy looked up at him.

"The name certainly fits," he said, noting how Firestar's pelt almost seemed to glow in the strong sunlight.

"Cats of Thunderclan," Firestar yowled, "I've called you here to witness the trial of the five cats that stand before you." He paused, gesturing with his tail to where the Titans stood, in the center of the clearing. Hostile muttering swept through the crowd. Firestar continued. "As you know, yesterday we found Ashfur in the stream by Windclan territory, slain, with a wound on his neck that could only have been made by a cat. When I sent out a large patrol to try and find the killer, they came back with these five cats that stand before me."

Beast Boy couldn't stand it anymore. "So you're calling us murderers just because we were in your territory? What proof do you have that we're guilty?" he angrily called up to Firestar.

Robin stepped forward. "We had no idea that we were trespassing. We are new to this place, and we have only just arrived. We've been through a lot together and I know these people- I mean, cats- down to the core. They would never take the life of any cat. Where we come from, we are hailed as heroes and protectors. We mean you no harm, and only ask that you give us a day to get our bearings before we continue with our mission," he spoke calmly, addressing the other leader as an equal. The two cats stared at each other, each cat looking at the other with uncertainty.

"Who are you?" Firestar finally asked, his green eyes searching Robin's." Where do you come from? And what is your mission? These are questions you will have to answer before I can know if I can trust you, or what your fates will be."

Robin stood tall, looking every bit the strong leader he was. "My name is Robin," he proclaimed. "This is Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire," he said, indicating each in turn. He turned back to Firestar. "We come from a place very far from here, and our mission is nothing more or less than to help you in the hard time that is to come." In the crowd, which had gone deathly silent a moment ago, a cat gasped in astonishment. Beast Boy looked around to see which cat it had been, and his eyes found a light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes. She had a look of astonishment on her face, and her eyes were glazed, as if she was seeing something besides the five cats she gazed upon.

"What is it, Leafpool?" called Brambleclaw, his paws kneading the ground in worry. "What is Starclan showing you?" Among the crowd, murmurs of worry had broken out, and every eye was on Leafpool.

"What's going on?" asked Cyborg in a whisper, looking a little unsettled. He turned to Raven, who was their expert on all things supernatural.

"It appears," said Raven, turning to face them with a hint of wonder in her voice," That she's having a vision of some sort. And I don't think it's a fake, either. Judging from her aura, she's having an authentic vision."

"What is this Starclan I hear them speaking of?" asked Starfire curiously, but also slightly wary.

"Probably part of the local belief system," said Robin, glancing at Leafpool, who was starting to come out of her trance. "But something tells me that what this cat sees will decide whether we stay, go, or get killed. From the way the cats are looking at her, she must have a high position in this…clan."

"Dude, you study politics way too much," said Beast Boy, who looked confused. "How can you tell all this stuff about these cats when you don't even know them?"

"From body language," Robin said, gazing as intently at Leafpool as the other cats were, "And the way they interact. This was part of my training, to be able find the connections between people, and thus find the leader of a group in a bunch of criminals just by looking at them. It's useful skill to have."

"Creepy," muttered Beast Boy, shaking his head, "Just creepy."

Leafpool blinked and shook her head as she came out of her trance. Immediately, she shot a glance at Firestar. What it meant was lost to Beast Boy, who had no knowledge of such things. One of the cats in the crowd, a gray tom with long fur, called out to Leafpool, "What did you see? Did Starclan send you a message?"

"Yes," she replied loudly, addressing the surrounding cats. "They told me that Ashfur's killer is not among the five cats we found today." Every one of the Titans breathed a sigh of relief. "Also," she continued, speaking in a strong, confident voice, "They told me that these cats are no threat to us." There was still some uneasy muttering, but for the most part, the cats seemed to accept Leafpool's words. Robin was right; she must be an important cat.

"If that is the case," said Firestar from up on his rock, "Then you are welcome to stay until you can get your bearings. We have a spare den, and plenty of prey. Rest now and we shall talk more in the morning."

"Hold on now, Firestar," called a scratchy voice. Beast Boy looked around. It belonged to an old, dusky brown she-cat, whose pelt was matted and ragged with age. "I know you want to help these cats, but five mouths is a lot to feed. I say that they should move on and go somewhere else."

"We will hunt for ourselves," called out Beast Boy impulsively, "Once we are strong enough. And we will bring back more prey for you as well."

"No mouths will go hungry because we came here," said Robin, addressing the old she-cat, who was glaring at him bad temperedly.

"Besides," called a pale ginger she-cat with green eyes. "It's Greenleaf, and the prey is plentiful. No harm will come of a few extra paws in the clan."

"Thank you, Mousefur, for your concern," said Firestar respectfully, "But I believe that there is no harm from letting these cats stay while." Mousefur huffed, but didn't say anything more.

"We shall fix you a den, and have prey brought there. I shall speak with you in the morning," said Firestar, addressing the five cats below. "Brambleclaw, see to it that they are comfortable, and have two clan cats with them at all times." With that, Firestar leapt from the rock, and vanished into a hole in the rock wall.

"They have a guard on us," hissed Cyborg, flexing his metal claws.

"I guess the word of Starclan isn't law," said Raven dryly.

"Hey Raven, can you do anything to stop Beast Boy's bleeding?" asked Robin, looking worried.

"Hey, no worries! I feel fine!" exclaimed Beast Boy, even though his back felt like it was on fire. Wordlessly, Raven swiped a paw through Beast Boy's fur, and held it up to show him the blood. "Ok, maybe not exactly fine," he admitted as Raven started to gently lick his wound clean. For Raven's care, he would get a wound like this any day, Leafpool pushed her was through the crowd of curios cats around them and walked up next to Beast Boy.

"Hello," she said gently," My name is Leafpool and I am Thunderclan's medicine cat. Please, let me look at your wound," she asked Beast Boy, gently nosing the gash on his back. She turned, and said," Come with me to my den. I can give you herbs for that." She waited, seeing if they would follow her.

Robin looked at her, then said, "Beast Boy, go with her. Raven, could you accompany them and help Leafpool?" Raven nodded. Leaning close, Robin whispered, "Make sure these cats don't try anything. Guard his back, okay?"

"You're too paranoid," Raven replied, but followed Beast Boy all the same. She understood. She was to be his bodyguard and make sure nothing happened to him.

Beast Boy walked into the medicine cat den with Raven at his side. The air smelled of herbs, a smell he had come to associate with Raven. He relaxed, looking around the rest of the den. A small pool of water rested in the back corner, and nests for the sick lined the walls. Lying in one of the nests was Cinderheart, the cat who he'd attacked. She was licking her paws, looking kind of fidgety. His pelt bristled in aggression, but he also felt a prickle of shame. He didn't like hurting people, even if they were trying to hurt him. He resolved to apologize to her later.

Leafpool directed him to one of the nests, and told him to lie on his non-injured side. He lay down in the nest feeling awkward. Raven sat by him, curling her tail around her paws. Leafpool returned, towing along another cat behind her. He was a grey cat, with blue eyes and a cross expression. His eyes were vacant, and didn't really have any focus to them. Raven gasped. When he shot her a look, Raven bent down and whispered in his ear, "He's blind." She kept her expression perfectly blank, but he could see a small hint of sympathy in her eyes.

"This is my apprentice, Jayfeather," said Leafpool, flicking her tail at the cat. "He will be treating your wounds, Beast Boy. I have to check on Cinderheart." She shot them a look, then walked away, towards Cinderheart. Jayfeather looked at them, his eyes regarding them as if he could see them as clear as day.

"Well, hold still," he said crossly, sniffing Beast Boy's wound, "I'll go get you some cobwebs to stop the bleeding. Make sure you lick the wound clean." With that, Jayfeather walked toward a crack in the wall. Beast Boy blinked drowsily.

"You go to sleep," said Raven in her monotone, 'I'll stay here and clean your wound." With gentle rhythmic licks, she began to clean the wound and the fur around it. Beast Boy purred, slowly slipping into sleep. _Man, _he thought his eyes drifting closed, _could this day have been any stranger?_

_******_

Ok, just to let you know which cat was which. I didn't explain who every cat who talked was.

gray tom with long fur=Graystripe

pale ginger she-cat with green eyes= Sandstorm

I think I got out there the names of all the others. If you figured it out on your own, good for you! You deserve a cookie. But since I can't figure out how to do that on line...sigh.

REVIEW!!! If anyone is reading this story besides the people who have reviewed already, then please do so! People who have already reviewed this story, I thank you, and I also thank the people who put this story on their alert and favorites lists. But please, I need more reviewers! Morale is getting kinda low in Writer'sland. So PUSH THE BUTTON!!!!!!


	5. Nighttime Discussions

I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!! I know I havn't updated in, like, forever. My parents thought that I was spending too much time on the computer, so they limited it to an hour a day. It made it really hard to type anything up. Well, if your still mad, you can organize the mob after you read the chapter.

This one is only Raven, so I'm sorry, BB shippers. It's also a little short, but I'm not perfect. This chapter is basicly the Titans getting the information they need about the clans. Also, after this chapter I'm going to really start kicking some things into motion, so if this chapter is a little slow for you, just hold on!

IMPORTANT UPDATE!!! I said that this would be a BB/Rae story, but I did not say that their story would be a happy ending! Buahahah! In short, I'm going to introduce different pairings to the story, and Raven and Beast Boy may **not end up together! **I'm not saying they won't, just that you shouldn't take that for granted. Because I'm evil like that.

Everyone give special thanks to Locket123, who got me off my butt and really got me going on this chapter. She reviewed and begged me to update, so now I finally have. You deserve a cookie! :)

I don't own the Titans, but I will when I rule the world someday.

Chapter Four

Raven gazed down at Beast Boy, watching him sleep. He was purring, apparently having a good dream, and every so often he would mutter and fidget a little. She sighed. She couldn't even begin to comprehend the weirdness that had been happening. As hard as she tried, she couldn't wrap her mind around it. They were all cats, and had been sent here for some unknown reason to save these people. And when it came down to it, she still had so many questions. What was Starclan? Were there others here, living the same way these cats did? Did these cats have laws and rules, just like the court system back home? And above all, what was going to become of them, and how would they find there way back home? So many things were in the dark, and Raven felt so out of her comfort zone that it made it hard to think.

And what was happening between her and Beast Boy, anyway? Where had this newfound concern come from? Maybe it could mean that…that…No. It couldn't be. And even if she did slightly feel about Beast Boy…that way, there was no way that he could ever feel anything back. After all, hadn't it been him who had once called her creepy? He had apologized later, but it didn't mean that it hadn't hurt her. Why had that hurt so badly? She had had similar rejections while living in Azerath, because she was Trigon's daughter. But she had always been able to ignore cruel comment s such as those. Maybe, it was because this time, it was coming from a teammate, someone who she trusted and risked her life for every day. Maybe she really did...love him. But no. Even if she did, she could never speak such a sentiment out loud. Malchior had taught her well the danger of giving someone your heart.

She shook herself briskly. _I'm not supposed to be gazing at him like some sort of sentimental fool. I'm supposed to be keeping an eye out for trouble, _she thought sharply. _See what love can do to you? _She told herself. _See how dangerous it can be? _Scolding herself internally, she turned her back on Beast Boy, facing the entrance so that she would be able to see any cat who tried to come in. Sitting with her paws tucked beneath her, she resolved to keep alert for the rest of the night. Truthfully, she didn't need as much sleep as the others did. On average, Raven only needed about four hours of sleep in a night. Of course, more than that was fine, but on most nights she went to bed at midnight and got up at four-thirty. That left her lots of extra time to follow her own pursuits, such as learning spells and writing poetry. These were two things she purposely did at night, so the others wouldn't find out. Ever since The End, she had felt more comfortable around them, but not that comfortable. She was a secretive person by nature, and had her limits.

A sudden rustling at the entrance alerted Raven that someone was coming. She rose to her paws, prepared for any assault that might come her way. The bramble screen was pushed aside, and Jayfeather poked his head in. Sensing that she was awake, he walked over to her and sat across from her. She looked him in the eye, and for all intents and appearances he appeared to do the same. They stayed that way for a couple minutes, sizing each other up. Finally, Raven broke the silence. "What are you doing here?" she asked in her standard monotone. She felt her calm mask of indifference on her face, shielding what she felt from the outside world. It wasn't even needed in this case; it's not like Jayfeather could read her eyes like any other person could. But still, it comforted her, her mask of concealment, for it was both her habit and her instinct to make herself emotionless. After all, she was still dangerous, even with Trigon no longer influencing her.

Jayfeather replied calmly," I couldn't sleep, so I came in to check on your friend," He flicked his tail at Beast Boy, who was still peacefully sleeping. "I didn't realize there would be anyone awake."

"Well, you're free to leave at any time," said Raven dryly, flicking her tail toward the exit. It felt very much like an intrusion of privacy, something Raven loathed to the very core. Besides, he wasn't telling the truth. Raven could feel the intense curiosity coming off him, and knew that Jayfeather had come because he was curious, and wanted to know more.

Jayfeather's sightless blue eyes narrowed crossly. "Last time I checked, this was my camp, not yours," he said snippily, "So I'd watch your tongue if I were you."

"Maybe I might have, if you'd come here with honest intentions," retorted Raven. Jayfeather blinked, caught off guard.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jayfeather, his voice a bit unsure. Raven could feel his alarm. She must have nailed it right on the head.

"You didn't come here to check on Beast Boy," meowed Raven scathingly. "You only wanted to satisfy your own curiosity. Had you been honest, I might have done so, but as it stands, your audience it through. Leave now." With that, she laid her head on her paws and closed her eyes. For about a minute she stayed like that, waiting to hear him move, or at the very least, talk. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at him crossly. "Why are you still here?" she asked, annoyed. The idiot was just standing there, mouth wide open like he was trying to catch flies. _I must have sent the poor little thing into shock, _she thought sarcastically. Thoroughly annoyed now, she walked up to him and got right in his face. "Hello," Raven said," Are you still among the living here? I said, get out."

"How did you know?" he breathed, eyes still glazed with shock. He them proceeded to look at her with wide eyed astonishment, blue eyes wondering and speculative.

"It wasn't hard," she said sharply. Raven was nervous. _Did I reveal too much? _She wondered. _Was I too accurate to be believable? After all, it was a pretty easy assumption to make. _Jayfeather looked at her with disbelief. Raven sensed his confusion sharpen into suspicion. He had guessed that there was something…off about her. Finally, the suspicion became a background emotion, bringing chagrin to the forefront.

"Look," he said awkwardly, scraping the ground with one paw, "I'm really sorry about lying to you. It's just…I was afraid to ask you, so I thought that if I could start a conversation with you, you might tell me stuff on your own." He bent his head. "I'm really sorry." Raven looked at him. His words rang with sincerity. He must be telling the truth. Raven sighed. The idiot probably didn't mean any harm. He was just curious, and tomorrow she would have to deal with twenty more just like him. What was the point of withholding information, anyway? It's not like it would work. Starfire was far too chatty for her own good, and the information about them would get out eventually. As long as she didn't give anything away, and their stories didn't end up contradicting each other, then there was no reason not to.

"Fine," she said shortly, rising to the sitting position so that she would be more comfortable, "Ask your questions, and get out. Spread it around, too, so I won't have to do this again tomorrow to twenty different cats. That's the least you could do to make up for lying." She gazed at him with an indifferent expression.

"Really?" Jayfeather asked, perking right up, his sightless eyes sparking in excitement, "Can I?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," said Raven crossly, flicking her ear in annoyance. She really hated pointless questions.

"Oh, sorry," said Jayfeather, looking embarrassed. He settled himself in the sitting position, making himself more comfortable. "Where do you come from?" he asked, gazing intently at her.

Dang. Trust him to ask all the hard questions. Raven decided to be at least partially truthful. "Far away," she said, gazing off into the distance. "Farther than any cat from your clan has ever gone before."

Jayfeather scoffed. "Thunderclan cats have gone pretty far before," he boasted. "How can you be sure of that?"

Raven looked at him. "If you walked all day and night for a month, then it would be even farther than that," she told him, slightly miffed by his arrogance.

"What's a month?" asked Jayfeather, puzzled.

"It's about the length of the cycle of the moon," said Raven.

"Wow," said Jayfeather, eyes wide," Walking day and night for a whole moon? That's pretty far away." He looked impressed. "Why would you travel so far away from your clan?"

"We don't have clans where we come from," explained Raven. "It was just the five of us in our group. There were other groups like that, but we don't hang around in groups as large as these." Raven was starting to sink into the story, and that was dangerous. The farther you sink into a web of lies, the harder it is to get out.

"Why are you protectors?" asked Jayfeather, "Is it a title you have to earn? Like becoming a warrior?"

"I don't know how you become a warrior, but we are protectors because it's what we do. We protect people."

"Don't you get something out of it?"

"No. We just do it because it's the right thing to do. How does it work here?"

Jayfeather thought for a second, and then began. "When you are born, you are given a certain name. It always ends in `kit` such as Icekit or Foxkit. Then, after six moons you become an apprentice, and are assigned a warrior to teach you the warrior code and all the things you need to know. That warrior becomes your mentor. Also, when you become an apprentice, the end of your name changes to `paw`, like Lionpaw. Then, after you've trained for a long time, and your mentor thinks your ready, you become a warrior and receive your full warrior name, such as Brambleclaw or Honeyfern." Raven nodded, astounded by the complexity of this system. _They're so well organized, _she thought. _It's like they have their own culture._

"How do your leaders get chosen?" Raven asked, curious to see if their method for this was also so well thought out. She wanted to know more about this strange cat culture, and then maybe gain an advantage over them in battle. Or at least, that's what she told herself. The truth was she just found it too compelling to drop.

"Well," said Jayfeather, "A cat becomes a deputy when an old deputy dies or retires. The deputy sees to the day-to-day running of the clan, such as running patrols or assessing apprentices. Then, when the old leader dies, the deputy takes his place and receives his nine lives from Starclan. He them must choose the next deputy by the moonhigh after the old leader's death. The leader makes all the important decisions, especially about dealing with the other clans."

"There are other clans out here?" asked Raven.

"There are four clans total," Jayfeather told her. "There's Riverclan, Shadowclan, Windclan, and Thunderclan. We are Thunderclan," he said, a note of pride in his voice.

"And there all as big as this one?" she asked, wide eyed in wonder.

"Just about," he said smugly. "We have more cats than any other clan right now." Raven's mind reeled. _So many cats, _she thought in shock. _What if something would happen to them? _Her mind flashed back to that voice, that being of such immense power. Were these the people they had to protect? Not just one clan, but all four of them?_ That's impossible, _she thought angrily. _How can we protect all these cats if we don't even know what we're protecting them against?_

"How many cats do you have where you live?" Jayfeather asked, breaking her train of thought. She shook her self a little to get rid of the overly depressing thoughts, and continued.

"No. not nearly as many," she lied, "A little less than your whole clan."

"Then why did you leave, if you protect those cats back home?" he asked, confused.

"We were told that we would be needed here," said Raven awkwardly, looking away.

"Did Starclan tell you?" asked Jayfeather, his sightless eyes solemn.

"What's Starclan?" asked Raven, confused.

"You know," he said, gesturing at the ceiling, "The spirits of your warrior ancestors. You can see them in Silverpelt."

"We have no warrior ancestors," said Raven. Jayfeather looked at her with astonishment.

"You don't?" he asked, in the tone of a seven year old that'd been told that Santa doesn't exist. "Then…who told you that you were needed here?" Raven looked awkwardly around. She had said too much. Now he was asking a question that she couldn't even answer herself.

"I-it's getting late," she stuttered. "I need my rest for tomorrow. You should leave now."

Jayfeather blinked. "But-"he began.

"No buts," Raven snarled. "Leave now."

"Ok, ok!" he said, startled by her aggression. He turned tail to leave, but paused before heading out. "Goodnight, Raven."

"Beat it," was her only reply, but it wasn't as harsh as it could have been. Jayfeather simply nodded, and walked out of the clearing. She chuckled to herself, lying back down to keep watch. After all, she could have the others thinking she was going soft on them.

I know it was really boring, but it'll get exciting soon, I promise! REVIEW! It makes me write faster, and I'm not even joking.


	6. Memories and Realizations

Hi, people! I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in so long, but I've had this weird sickness thing going on, so it's been hard to write without getting a headache. I'VE GOT BAD NEWS!!! I'm going to camp for a month, which means that I won't have access to a computer until the week before school starts. I'll write this story out on paper while I'm at camp, then get it typed when I get back. Sorry, people! At least I didn't do a cliffie(or at least, not a big one). Hope you enjoy the chapter!

I don't own the Teen Titans or the Warriors series. As if I haven't said that a million times!

Chapter Five

Beast Boy awoke, screaming, "Stay away from me you weird eared freak!" He lay there panting for a few moments, and then realized it had only been a dream. A terrifying dream, but just a dream, never the less. Whew! What a relief.

"What on earth are you babbling about?" asked a monotone voice from behind him. Beast Boy jumped, his fur fluffing out in alarm, before realizing it was Raven. She was sitting neatly with her paws tucked under her, looking slightly worn out, but not completely exhausted.

"Raven," he said loudly, waving his paws about, "Don't scare me like that, especially after such a horrible dream! It was so weird! Mickey Mouse was on this weird platter, covered in barbecue sauce, and he was going 'eat me, eat me!' in this wicked creepy voice, and then these weird things with Mickey Mouse ears surrounded me and wanted them to take them to my leader-" Beast Boy paused, gulping in a huge breath of air. Using the pause to intercede, Raven shot him a look that very clearly told him to shut up. 'Eheh," he said, flicking his tail nervously, "Sorry, Raven. Shutting up now."

"Thank you," said Raven dryly, giving him a glance through narrowed eyes. Beast Boy faintly grasped then that he would have come to bodily harm if he hadn't shut up when he did. Raven _did not_look like she was in a good mood. Her nose was scrunched up, and her eyes were kind of squinty, like she was annoyed or in pain. Even on a cat's face, he recognized that look.

"Raven," he asked slowly, cautiously, "Do you need to go meditate?" Raven's eyes shot wide in astonishment, then narrowed in suspicion.

"How did you know that?" she asked sharply; an accusation. Her purple eyes burned into him as he squirmed slightly, unable to meet her gaze. _What am I supposed to say, _he thought wildly. _I know because I've memorized every one of your expressions like the love struck fool I am? I'm sure that would go down well. _Instead of saying anything incriminating, he mumbled, "It was just a lucky guess." Her purple eyes were still suspicious, though, but before she could question him further, Leafpool bustled into the medicine cat clearing with two mice hanging from her jaws.

"Here," she said briskly, dropping them at Raven's feet, "I thought you might be hungry." Her kind gaze widened at the scorching glare that Raven sent her way.

"I can take care of myself," Raven spat angrily, her purple fur bristling. Rising to her feet, she said to Beast Boy, "I'll go report to Robin. Stay here." With that, she stalked out of the clearing, pausing only to grab the two mice by their tails. You could practically see the ice where her paws had tread. Leafpool was left standing there, looking confused and a little hurt. Beast Boy chuckled. The first Raven encounter was always the hardest.

Taking pity on her, Beast Boy said, "Don't mind Raven. She's like that to everyone, even us. The one, no two things she resents the most are people trying to take care of her or intrude on her personal life. Just ask me. I've got scars to prove it." Beast Boy grinned, remembering all the times he had been bodily thrown from Raven's room.

The confusion in Leafpool's eyes cleared to understanding. "I see," she said, her gaze thoughtful, "She is not unlike Jayfeather." With a start, he realized she meant the blind cat with blue eyes.

"I'll take your word for it," he said cheerfully, standing up to stretch his limbs.

"What are you doing? Lie back down at once!" said Leafpool, nudging him until he lay back down. She sniffed him over then removed his bandages. Walking over to a corner of the clearing, she briefly disappeared into a side cavern, re-appearing with a mouthful of flower petals. Chewing them into a paste, she pressed them to his wound and put fresh cobwebs on it. Giving him one last check over, she said, "You're free to go, but you need to come back tomorrow so I can check how your wound is healing. And no rough-housing!" she called after him, for Beast Boy was already racing out of the medicine cat den at top speed. As soon as he was out the door, the sun blinded him, and he had to blink a few times before his eyes adjusted to the bright light. When the sun spots cleared out of his eyes, he looked around. Cats were hanging around in the clearing, all seeming to doing some task or another. A bunch of young cats seemed to be doing cleaning and general work around the camp. Groups of cats came to and fro, dropping off mice and other small creatures into a pile. Occasionally, you'd see a cat relaxing, but most all of them were doing work. Once they saw him, lots of cats broke off what they were doing and began to whisper to their neighbors. Feeling a little uncomfortable under all their gazes, Beast Boy looked around for any of his teammates. They were no where to be found.

The fur around Beast Boy's spine prickled. Several cats were giving him hostile glances. Fear swept through him, and he found himself wishing that Raven hadn't left him. What was he supposed to do now? Moving over to a group of cats who were looking at him with curiosity instead of hostility, he asked one white and gray she cat, "Um, hi. Would you happen to know where my friends went?"

"They went to the training grounds with Firestar and Brambleclaw. I can take you there if you want. I'm just off guard duty, and I have nothing better to do. My name's Hazeltail," she said kindly. "This is Mousewhisker and Honeyfern." She flicked her tail in turn to a gray and white tom and a light brown tabby she-cat. Mousewhisker looked friendly, while Honeyfern was looking at him suspiciously.

"Greetings," said Mousewhisker courteously, dipping his head, "How's the prey running?" Beast Boy just stared at him for a second.

"Umm…its running good, I guess," he said awkwardly, "And you?"

"Are you joking?" asked Honeyfern, seeming to loosen up a little, "This has caused some of the best gossip I've heard in my life! This will be enough to get us through our warrior duties for a month." Beast Boy laughed a little. Even if you switch worlds, gossip is still gossip.

"Come on!" said Hazeltail, walking towards the bramble tunnel, "All three of us can take you to the training clearing."

"But," Mousewhisker asked her, confused, "Why do all three of us have to-" Hazeltail flicked her tail into his mouth, shutting him up effectively. _Nice move, _Beast Boy thought to himself. _I need to try that one on Star sometime. _Hazeltail leaned towards Mousewhisker and Honeyfern, whispering words that he could only hear because of his super sharp hearing.

"Remember, they need to be guarded at all times. Plus, that'll be a great excuse to ask him questions." She whispered. The other two nodded. Not letting them know that he heard what they said, Beast Boy decided to play dumb. Honestly, playing dumb was never hard for him to do.

"Well, come on!" Beast Boy shouted, heading for the exit. "Let's go!" The other three raced forward and took the lead, walking at a steady pace off along a scent trail. Beast Boy followed along behind them. On the outside he appeared calm, but on the inside he was suspicious. What if they had come to lead him into an ambush? Plus, he had to be careful not to contradict anything the others had said. One false step here could lead to problems later on. Strangely enough, he could feel his animal senses had intensified since he first came here. He hadn't noticed before, but now that he paid attention…they had intensified slightly. Huh. Maybe it was because he had been in animal form for a while now. Oh, well. Better focus on dodging questions.

Hazeltail looked over at him casually. "So," she asked, "Where do you come from?" For a second, Beast Boy pictured himself answering truthfully, and mentally chuckled.

"Far away," he said evasively.

"How far away?" Hazeltail persisted. Mousewhisker and Honeyfern were watching closely.

"I don't know how to tell you," he said truthfully. "It's kind of hard to put into words how far away it is. I've lost track."

"Umm," said Mousewhisker shyly, "I don't want to be rude, but how come your…well…you know, green."

Beast Boy shuddered instinctively. Memories flashed through his head, long buried memories that had just decided to rear their ugly heads. _Flashing machines, the smell of chemicals, people with masks, why did they have white masks on? It hurts. They're hurting me, why are they hurting me, and what did I do wrong? What's that tank for? There's water, there's water all around me and it's burning me! Let me go, please let me go, I don't want to drown, PLEASE- _Beast Boy shook his head, sending the images away. "Humans did this to me," he said simply. It was the truth, though to call them human was a bit of an overstatement. They barely deserved the term.

"Humans?" asked Honeyfern, confused. "What are humans?"

Whoops. Maybe there _were_ no humans here. But Beast Boy decided to give it a shot anyway. "They have no fur," he explained. They walk around on two legs, and they like to build strange things."

"Oh," said Hazeltail, "You mean Twolegs? Wow. Why would the Twolegs do something like that?"

"I mean," said Mousewhisker, "Everyone knows that Twolegs are crazy, but would they do something like turn a cat green?"

Beast Boy looked off into the distance. "Yeah," he said softly, "Who knows?"

*_*_*_*_*

Raven was mad. Really mad. Demon rage mad. It took every bit of her self control to keep even her weakened powers in check. _What was with that Leafpool cat? Couldn't she just mind her own business? _Still holding the mice, she stalked into a deserted corner of the clearing to eat in piece. A couple people tried to come over to her, but she shot glares at them and they beat a hasty retreat. Funnily enough, the whole eating mice thing didn't bother her. They tasted pretty good, actually. Normally, Raven would have thought this weird, but these were atypical circumstances. _I wonder how Beast Boy is going to cope, _she thought. _After all, he's a devout vegetarian. _Raven spent a few minutes pondering this. _Either he's going to have to suck it up and just eat them, or I may have to use a spell. I've used it before. _That had been a funny occasion. It was a spell that the deluded the user into thinking he was eating one thing while actually eating another. She had used it on him the day she caught him trying to find her diary. That is, she had used it on him the night after he had gotten released from the infirmary. The results had been amusing, and Cyborg almost popped a lung at the look on Beast Boy's face. This opportunity could also be used to see just how well her powers could function in this world/alternate dimension/extremely weird head trip. But first, she and the others, especially Cyborg, would have fun making him try to eat a small animal raw. Raven purred at the very thought.

Out of the blue, a bolt of enthusiastic orange fur slammed into her side, almost breaking a rib or two. As it was, Raven could have sworn she heard her ribcage creak a little. "Friend Raven!" said Starfire, twining around Raven enthusiastically. "Is this not so exciting? We get to see new places and meet new people and…" Starfire paused for breath, while Raven was still trying to catch hers, "This is a most wonderful adventure!" Raven looked over to the two cats racing towards them.

"Remember what we talked about, Starfire?" asked Raven, still gasping for breath.

"Ohhhhh!" said Starfire, backing away instantly, "Are you referring to the space of the bubble? I am sorry friend Raven. I had forgotten." She hung her head, ashamed.

"Again," Raven muttered, too low to be heard, and then sighed. "It's okay, Star," she said, dropping her customary scowl. "I forgive you."

"Oh, glorious!" said Starfire, all sadness forgotten as she literally jumped up in down with joy. "I would give you "the hug", but you request the space of the bubble, and also it is rather hard to do with these strange limbs." Cyborg and Robin had now reached the two of them.

"How is Beast Boy?" asked Robin immediantly. Figures. He's been beating himself up about it. Typical Robin.

"Yeah," Cyborg interjected, "How is the little grass stain?"

"He's fine," Raven replied. She distinctively saw Robin heave a sigh of relief. "By my eye, his injuries are recovering exceptionally well."

"What about your healing po-" Starfire began to ask, but was quickly stopped by Robin.

"Quiet," hissed Robin, "Here comes Firestar." Firestar was approaching them, followed closely by Brambleclaw.

"Greetings," said Firestar, addressing them all. "How was your night? I trust that you all slept well."

"We are fine, thank you," said Robin. "It was most kind of you to give us food and shelter. If there is any way we can repay you, let us know." Firestar looked at Robin, assessing both his fighting strength and his words.

"You seem a kind and courteous leader, but also one who is not afraid to fight," said Firestar. "Perhaps we can learn from each other.

"I would like that very much, Firestar," said Robin, and his respect for the fire-colored tom was clear, "But until we can trust each other I don't think that will be possible. I have learned the price you pay for trusting too quickly." The entire team winced. Terra had left scars on them all.

Firestar gestured with his tail to the bramble tunnel. "Will you walk with us to the training clearing? There are things that I would like to discuss with you all. Your friend is being checked over with Leafpool, but he can join us if he's fit to. I'll have a couple of my warriors wait for him." He shot a glance at Brambleclaw, who immediately walked off and began to talk with three cats. All of the remaining cats looked at Robin, who was assessing risks and benefits. Finally, Robin said, "We will come with you, but we will be on the alert for trickery."

"Very well," said Firestar, then turned and walked over to the bramble tunnel. The others followed him into the forest, and along a path that had clearly been tread many times. They walked in silence, everyone on the alert. Even Firestar was tense. "Be on your guard. Ashfur's killer is still out there," said Firestar quietly. Raven stopped abruptly as the unknown presence's words suddenly sounded loud and clear in her ears. "**This world needs heroes to guide them through their darkest time. You and the others must become their light. Only then will you be able to return.**" Something clicked into place. Ashfur's death could be the start of something far more sinister than mere murder. If dark times were truly coming, and Raven believed they were, then Ashfur's death may be part of their beginning. A dark cloud that began the storm.

"Raven?" asked Robin. Raven blinked. The others were about ten feet in front of her, looking at her with curiosity and concern. "Is something the matter?" asked Robin, but the look on his face was asking '_did you have a vision?'_.

"I'll tell you later," said Raven, standard monotone, standard expression, but inside she was shaken. She had just made a vital connection, she was sure of it. Ashfur's death was part of the reason why they were here. Suddenly, Raven swore she felt hostile eyes watching her, from somewhere in the forest, but when she looked around her there was no one there.

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See you in a month!


	7. The Edge of a Knife

I'VE FINALLY UPDATED!!!!!! (runs around in circles with her hands up in the air) I know, you've probably been getting a little annoyed at this point, but my plot bunny decided to run away, and I spent valuable time chasing it down. I finally get it back, and it's not the same plot bunny I knew and loved! :0 At first this story was going to be an angst/tragedy sort of thing, but now I decided to give it a happy ending! But that means a lot of other stuff has to go. I'm making some changes to the summary and the genre after this!

Now...

I'd like to thank all the people who acctually reviewed, favorited, or put my story on alert. If I miss you name, PM me so you can yell at me!:) They are Robinwing (), Azerath-Metrion-Zinthos, Brandy (),A Saphire Rose, Moonstar 11, Locket123, ahilty, Raptor Ookami (who's review was awesome, by the way), Sandfall, Gingerstar, AriusWinter, Demyx Is Mine So Ha, Linzerj, My Cheeze, Goldenheart11, and all you other nameless people who read my story but don't to anything. Thanks you guys1 I never expected more than two people to like it, so I really appriciate the support! sniffle sniffle :)

Also, just to let you know, the story is coming to a close soon. Basicly, I used the Warrior's world to get Beast Boy and Raven out of their usual everything so they could fall in love somewhere but Jump City. I used the Warriors because I love the bookseries so much! Hahahaha I'm so devious.

Don't own any of this. Like, how many times do I have to say it! Jeez.

Chapter Six

The training clearing was beautiful, even to Raven's eye. A large carpet of moss covered the ground, which felt nice and soft underfoot. A few branches waved overhead, making dappled shadows on the ground. Even the air was pleasant, a light breeze stirring her purple fur. But right now, Raven didn't have time to admire the scenery. Her attention was entirely occupied by the two leaders facing off in the center of the clearing. Firestar sat calmly on the mossy ground, his coat clearly owning his namesake as it blazed in the late morning sun. At his side was Brambleclaw, sitting there looking terrifying and impressive. His amber gaze scorched upon each and every cat, making it very clear that sign from Starclan or not they weren't to be trusted. He didn't intimidate Raven. After the monks of Azerath, it took a lot to intimidate Raven. Or scare her. Or affect her in any was. She wasn't called Ice Queen and Goth Goddess for nothing.

Across from the leader and deputy of Thunderclan sat Robin and the team. Robin sat with poise, looking calm and dignified, every bit Firestar's equal. He looked calm on the outside, but Raven could tell by the slight tension in his shoulders and the minute twist of his ear that Robin was anxious. A lot depended on what would pass between these two leaders. If Firestar decided to send them away, then they might end up never going home again. _That can't happen, _thought Raven. _How are we going to live in these cat bodies before our souls start getting attached to them? If our souls have been put into cat bodies to serve some sort of purpose, then we can't stay in them forever. There is a definite time limit before a foreign body either accepts a soul and starts to meld around it, or more likely, reject the soul and have that person die. Sure, it doesn't happen right away, but we can't stay here forever. _Raven took a deep breath, covertly steadying herself, and prepared to help Robin if he needed someone to back him up.

"If I may," asked Firestar, his green gaze locked with Robin's, "I would like to dispose of formalities and ask you some questions, Robin. Leader to leader. There are some things I need to know before I can decide what I must do next."

"I will answer if I can, Firestar," Robin replied, his eyes also burning into Firestar's. "There are some things I can't tell you, but what I am permitted to I'll say." Brambleclaw looked mistrustful, and appeared to be gauging the legitimacy of Robin's words.

Firestar nodded. "Very well," he said. "To start, where do you come from?"

Robin settled down on the mossy floor, ready for the interrogation. "We come from a city by the ocean." Raven snorted. _I see, _she thought. _Robin's trying to keep this as honest as he can. That way, he won't technically be lying. Sneaky. _Firestar looked confused.

"Wait…what is a city? I know what a town is but I've never heard of a city before. And what is an ocean?" asked Brambleclaw. Both cats looked like they'd never heard of the ocean. _It must not be part of their vocabulary, _Raven realized. _They must have some words that are different from ours, like how they say "moon" for month._ Raven decided to intercede.

"The ocean is a massive body of water, so wide that you can't see across it. And a city is like a town, only much bigger," Raven explained. The others gave her looks of mild surprise. She usually didn't talk unless she absolutely had to. Raven sent them back her patented evil glare, and they all quickly looked away and decided not to comment on it. Jeez. It wasn't like she was mute.

Understanding flashed across Firestar's face. "I see," he said, a look of awe crossing his face. "Ocean must be your word for the sun drown place." Brambleclaw, who had still looked a little confused, now seemed to get what they were talking about. Firestar went back to questioning them. "What did you mean when you said that you were protectors?"

Robin shrugged. "Back where we lived, we used to help other people…I mean, cats, all the time. We sort of earned the title."

"You are like our warriors, then," said Brambleclaw. He had stopped glaring at them. Finally. "We too protect those weaker then us." Starfire cocked her head, looking confused.

"I don't understand," Starfire said, looking down at her creamy orange paws. "What are these warriors that you speak of? Perhaps they are like the warriors of my people." Quickly, before Firestar could look into that further, Raven interjected.

"Starfire is from a tribe of wild cats who live on the other side of our city. She joined us because she didn't want to stay there," Raven explained, silencing Starfire with a quick look. Starfire needed to learn how to curb that mouth of hers. Sigh. If only. Turning to Starfire once more, Raven said, "Warriors are the cats trained to protect the clan, while apprentices are warriors in training."

"Oh," said Starfire, eyes wide, "I understand. That is indeed very much like the warriors of my people." She closed her mouth, finally, and looked Firestar in the eyes for the first time. After a few seconds, she nodded to herself, and then looked away. Raven reminded herself that Starfire was the future queen of Tamerain, and she had as much a claim on the position of as Robin did. _Though, _thought Raven, _I think she doesn't want to lead because she knows that's what lies in her future. Perhaps, she's enjoying someone else being in charge while it lasts. _Raven realized she had never made that connection before now. _I've lived with these people for four years, yet how much do I actually know about them? I've been so wrapped up in my own little world that I've never really tried actively to get to know my own friends. _As much as she tried, she couldn't squash a small trickle of sadness. _What a horrible friend I've been, _she thought sadly. _Maybe, I could try to work on that without my emotions destroying something. It's worth a shot. _Refocusing, Raven noticed Cyborg looking at her with concern. Leaning close, she whispered, "I'm fine." Cyborg didn't look entirely convinced, but he just nodded and turned back to where Firestar sat, once again speaking.

"What is it that brought you here? It's a very long journey from the sun-drown place, so you must have a good reason," Firestar asked.

The team exchanged a glance. "We came because we were needed here," said Robin, looking back at Firestar. "Don't ask us how we know, because we can't tell you, but we were sent here on a mission to protect you. It's in our nature to help others, so we came." Firestar nodded, accepting the fact that they couldn't tell him everything. Brambleclaw looked a little suspicious, but from what Raven could gather this guy was _always_ suspicious. No changes there.

"One final question," said Firestar. His green eyes flashed warily. "Do you mean me and my clan harm in any way?" His gaze burned into theirs, judging for deceit.

"No," said Robin, confident and sure in his answer. Firestar held his gaze for a second, then nodded in acceptance.

"Very well," he said. "You may stay as long as you like. Tomorrow, we will take you on patrol and show you are territory. I will assign you temporary mentors who will instruct you on the ways of our clan. I will announce who later. Also, in five nights there is a gathering, a time when the four clans of the forest come together in peace. I would like you to attend so I can explain to the other leaders why you are here. I hope you will complete your mission." With that, Firestar and Brambleclaw rose to their feet, beckoning for them to follow.

"Come," said Brambleclaw. "We will show you the way back to camp." Before any of them could take a step, however, loud crashing sounds came from the underbrush, along with the sound of voices. Loud voices coming closer, and one voice in particular that made Raven roll her eyes. _Here we go…_

*_*_*_*_*_*

"Bet you can't catch me!" yelled Beast Boy, racing down the path. He had grown bored of the sedate pace set by his companions and challenged them to a race. Envy thought they were all in top condition, Beast Boy still had the edge when it came to speed. He was lighter and there for faster. They did a good job of keeping on his tail, though, and were a couple tail lengths behind him. All three of them had a competitive gleam in their eye.

"I bet I can," said Hazeltail, putting on a burst of speed and pulling up right beside him. Both cats were flat out sprinting now, breath coming in gasps. The trees flashed by at an incredible rate, only registered to Beast Boy as a greenish blur. Skidding to a stop, he reached the clearing in a green tangle of limbs. Popping up, he looked around. Hazeltail, Honeyfern, and Mousewhisker were all looking ashamed of themselves for acting so foolishly. Beast Boy snorted. _These guys need to lighten up, _he thought, adding a mental eye roll. Great, now he sounded like Raven. Not that Raven's voice didn't sound lovely. Beast Boy just didn't want to start sounding like her, even if it was only in his head. Speaking of the purple goddess, she was standing by Cyborg looking faintly amused at his entry. Beast Boy shot her a cheeky grin, and was surprised when wasn't followed by some form of withering comment. His heart started beating a little faster. Maybe she was finally noticing him! Rejoice! Disregarding the other people in the clearing, he sauntered up to her.

"Hey, there," he said, standing beside her, "Did I miss the party or what?" Raven shot him a look of annoyance. Surprisingly, it was good-natured rather than irritable. Beast Boy smiled broadly.

"Would it kill you to be on time for once?" she asked, giving him a dead-eyed look that somehow came across to him as endearing. Raven had a different meaning for everything. Once you figured it out that when she said one thing she meant another you realized that she doesn't hate people. It just comes across like that. With Raven, I hate you means I love you. Beast Boy blinked. (cue epiphany) Was that his problem? Was he misinterpreting everything? Did Raven not hate him after all? Could she actually…

"Look out, y'all," said Cyborg, wheeling around and sniffing the air. "We have company." Beast Boy drew in the scent filled air and winced. _That's a lot of cats, _he thought, scanning the surrounding forest. _But why are they here? _

"Honeyfern, run back to camp and get re-enforcements," snapped Firestar, while Robin drew everyone into the center of the clearing. Honeyfern dashed off, leaving the Titans and the rest of them standing around, back to back, in the center of the clearing. The sound of yowling came from the distance. _Here they come, _thought Beast Boy, tensing as he prepared for battle. _For once, I am the strongest one among us. I am not worthless and I can do this! _A surge of confidence rushed through him. How could he have ever felt weak! He felt like the whole world was at his paw tips. Like anything was possible. Caught up in the heat of the moment, facing a battle they might not walk away from, Beast Boy did what he could have never done before. He turned to Raven, looking her in the eye. Calmly, surely, he held her gaze. Felt himself drown in wells of violet light. This was it. This was his moment. He caught a slight look of surprise on her face before he spoke the words that meant everything to him in life. After all, you never know when it's going to be too late to speak. "Raven," he said, no promptu, no preamble, "I love you more than my own life. Always have, always will." And then the world burst into a blur of action.

_**That is how love is confessed. Not in the rain while someone cries for you. Not in a scene of dazzle and romance. Not at the perfect moment, the right time to say it. It is spoken on the edge of a cliff, on a road before you journey forth to places unknown. It is spoken when you're running through the night, fleeing disaster and the fire licking you feet. In the moment of power, on the edge of a knife between disaster and triumph. That's when the words you say will always mean the most. **_

They finally say it!!! Yay!!! By the way, I seen so many people lately confess their love and get shot down so this was fun to write. The world may not be right, but fanfiction can be!!! (sigh if only)

Oh, yeah, there are these funny things called reviews I like to get. They also make me write faster than my snail slow pace, so if you want faster updated then review and yell at me!


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